Woodside Bible News January 2009 : Page 1

READ THE BIBLE IN A YEAR PAGE 4A VOL IV ISSUE XII FEBRU8RY, 2005 VOLUME I, ISSUE Woodside News The JANUARY 2009 Expansion projects move forward BY KATHY FAWCETT WOODSIDE NEWS WRITER P lanned expansion projects at the Troy and White Lake campuses are moving forward “cautiously and prayerfully,” accord- ing to Tom Lancaster, Woodside Bible Church Administrative Pastor. Woodside Troy is hoping to begin build- ing a new youth center this spring, and members of the building committee contin- ue to meet regularly with the builder and architect, reviewing and refining the archi- tectural drawings. Pastor Lancaster believes that Woodside Troy is moving along within the projected timeline. At Woodside’sWhite Lake campus, the building plans also continue to be reviewed for the new 900-seat auditorium. According to Campus Pastor Brad Hulcy, meetings are continuing with architects and the construc- tion management company. A final decision on the start date is still to be made by Woodside’s finance committee and elders. “They will be sensitive to the current economy and what’s happening, but the plans are pretty well set,” says Hulcy. Meanwhile, the Woodside White Lake building committee also has to meet with the local White Lake Township planning commission for site plan approval. Lancaster is thankful that through the month of November, church giving has been close to projections. However, he is aware that giving may be affected in the near future as the challenges of our current economy continue to play out. Woodside designated the annual special December giving project to benefit these two building projects. “Our mission is to reach people with the gospel of Christ and we believe that the completion of these two projects are key to fulfilling this mandate,” said Lancaster. “Our leadership is moving cautiously and prayerfully, seeking the face of God for direction – and keeping a close eye on giving patterns.” He asks that the Woodside church body pray for the elders and the finance committee as they seek wisdom in discerning God’s direc- tion and timing in the new building projects. Woodside News writer Kathy Fawcett can be reached at kathyfawcett@woodsidenews.org A PUBLICATION OF THE WOODSIDE BIBLE CHURCH A PUBLICATION OF WOODSIDE BIBLE CHURCH WWW.WOODSIDEBIBLE.ORG New Year’s Eve celebrators gather in the Troy campus lobby for coffee and cookies. RE:Formation journey celebrated in New Year’s Eve gathering BY SUSAN FULCHER WOODSIDE NEWS WRITER H undreds of Woodside family members and friends from all four campuses gathered at the Troy campus on New Year’s Eve for an evening of celebration and praise to close out the fall spiritual journey, RE:Formation, a 100-Day Journey. Despite the economic circum- stances of the past year, Woodside members celebrated personal accounts Woodside News enhances online edition BY JIM AVERY WOODSIDE NEWS MANAGING EDITOR W hile the Woodside News has been printed as a monthly publication since February of 2005, and will contin- ue to be, it is clear that the days of digi- tal Web publishing and instant news updates are upon us. The recent announcement that the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News will cease publishing a daily printed copy on ONLINE continued on page 5 CONTENTS PASTOR’S PEN.................2A HIS STORY.....................3A FIT AND HEALTHY ..............9A MISSIONARY OF THE MONTH . .10A MOMS AND KIDS .............17A MOVIES ......................18A FAMILY FUN GUIDE............20A CHRISTIAN CROSSWORD ......23A THE BIBLE AND SCIENCE ......24A CROSS CURRENTS ............26A HUMOR ......................27A TROY HAPPENINGS.............2B WARREN HAPPENINGS .........4B WOODSIDE OF WARREN ........5B A CLOSER LOOK ...............5B CLASSIFIEDS ..................6B WHITE LAKE HAPPENINGS......6B FROM BRAD HULCY ...........7B WOODSIDE OF WHITE LAKE.....7B FROM ANDREW FRITH..........8B WOODSIDE OF ROYAL OAK......8B of life-changing stories and testimonies resulting from the fall campaign. The evening began with a time for young and old to mingle in the foyer for an hour enjoying light refreshments and conversation. “We dedicate tonight to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. These 100 days were to be the greatest growth spurt in our lives. We are here celebrating the end of a year rather than the beginning of a new year,” said Young Adult Pastor Cliff Johnson as the service began. The two-hour program included recaps of the RE:Formation weekly messages given by Woodside pastors interspersed with songs of worship, baptisms, personal stories of spiritual growth and expressions of gratitude from many of the organizations receiving Woodside’s outpouring of love for the various service projects, which were an integral component of the 100-Day journey. NEW YEAR’S EVE continued on page 4 Campus pastors see spiritual opportunities in 2009 BY KARON MATHEWS WOODSIDE NEWS WRITER T he simple act of swapping last year’s calendar for a glossy new 2009 version pro- vokes serious thought as Woodside Bible Church seeks to grow and serve in a state, coun- try and world beset by problems. One thought that Senior Pastor Doug Schmidt and the campus pastors at Royal Oak, Warren and White Lake share is that opportunities arise from challenging circumstances and necessary change. “As we approach another year of serving Christ at Woodside, we will focus on our vision state- ment: ‘…to impact this region and beyond with the life-chang- ing message of Jesus Christ.’ At Woodside we want to be in a position to be used of God to bring encouragement, healing and hope to our own people, as CHALLENGES continued on page 7 CHRISTMAS IN THE DUMP PAGE 14-15A ROYAL OAK CAMPUS READIES FOR GRAND OPENING PAGE 1B PHOTO BY TERRY SYKES

Expansion Projects Move Forward

Kathy Fawcett

Planned expansion projects at the Troy and White Lake campuses are moving forward “cautiously and prayerfully,” according to Tom Lancaster, Woodside Bible Church Administrative Pastor.

Woodside Troy is hoping to begin building a new youth center this spring, and members of the building committee continue to meet regularly with the builder and architect, reviewing and refining the architectural drawings. Pastor Lancaster believes that Woodside Troy is moving along within the projected timeline.

At Woodside’s White Lake campus, the building plans also continue to be reviewed for the new 900-seat auditorium. According to Campus Pastor Brad Hulcy, meetings are continuing with architects and the construction management company. A final decision on the start date is still to be made by Woodside’s finance committee and elders.

“They will be sensitive to the current economy and what’s happening, but the plans are pretty well set,” says Hulcy.

Meanwhile, the Woodside White Lake building committee also has to meet with the local White Lake Township planning commission for site plan approval.

Lancaster is thankful that through the month of November, church giving has been close to projections. However, he is aware that giving may be affected in the near future as the challenges of our current economy continue to play out.

Woodside designated the annual special December giving project to benefit these two building projects. “Our mission is to reach people with the gospel of Christ and we believe that the completion of these two projects are key to fulfilling this mandate,” said Lancaster. “Our leadership is moving cautiously and prayerfully, seeking the face of God for direction – and keeping a close eye on giving patterns.” He asks that the Woodside church body pray for the elders and the finance committee as they seek wisdom in discerning God’s direction and timing in the new building projects.

RE:Formation Journey Celebrated In New Year’s Eve Gathering

Susan Fulcher

Hundreds of Woodside family members and friends from all four campuses gathered at the Troy campus on New Year’s Eve for an evening of celebration and praise to close out the fall spiritual journey, RE:Formation, a 100-Day Journey.

Despite the economic circumstances of the past year, Woodside members celebrated personal accounts of life-changing stories and testimonies resulting from the fall campaign.

The evening began with a time for young and old to mingle in the foyer for an hour enjoying light refreshments and conversation.

“We dedicate tonight to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

These 100 days were to be the greatest growth spurt in our lives.

We are here celebrating the end of a year rather than the beginning of a new year,” said Young Adult Pastor Cliff Johnson as the service began.

The two-hour program included recaps of the RE:Formation weekly messages given by Woodside pastors interspersed with songs of worship, baptisms, personal stories of spiritual growth and expressions of gratitude from many of the organizations receiving Woodside’s outpouring of love for the various service projects, which were an integral component of the 100-Day journey.

NEW YEAR’S EVE
The common thread that connected the fall campaign was two-fold: Love God and love people.

“After God invests in me, I must give back to God by investing in others,” explained Executive Pastor Eric Haven.

Royal Oak Campus Pastor Bruce Benson urged the Woodside family to: “Adopt the Good Samaritan attitude by giving up personal opinions and politically correct ways and just love people.” The prayer room, another element of RE:Formation, proved to be the key for Ben Rife of the Troy campus for his commitment to the journey.

“The prayer room was the reason these 100 days were the greatest spiritual growth spurt in my life. I found myself there day after day, always spending more than an hour at a time praying for missionaries I didn’t even know, writing praises on the wall and asking God to make me a better husband and dad.” Warren campus member Roger Waldorf said he developed a strong desire to read Scripture during his 100-day commitment.

“I had a burning desire to read Scripture during this time. Reading helped show me a lot about myself, good and bad. I have gotten involved in a Bible study and recently began working in the children’s department Sunday mornings. I can’t wait for the next 100 days to see what God has for me.” Nick Deane, coordinator of the service projects, thanked Woodside members for their unfailing support.

“The church family stepped up to the plate for each project,” said Deane.

“It was an amazing 100 days, from the use of the prayer room to seeing people connect with people, a special love for the people at Woodside was fostered in me.” The service closed with communion.

As the clock ushered in 2009, Senior Pastor Doug Schmidt urged the crowd to live another year for God.

“We’ve prayed 2008 would be the greatest growth spurt to date. Let’s love and serve Him as we watch God make 2009 even better.”

Woodside News Enhances Online Edition

Jim Avery

While the Woodside News has been printed as a monthly publication since February of 2005, and will continue to be, it is clear that the days of digital Web publishing and instant news updates are upon us.

The recent announcement that the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News will cease publishing a daily printed copy on Most days in favor of an enhanced digital online version reflects an ongoing trend away from printed newspapers.

For that reason, Communications Pastor Mike Wendland and the newspaper staff have been busy updating the online version of the Woodside News on the church’s Web site.

Starting with the January 2009 edition, the online copy of the paper will debut a new feature called Zoom.

Zoom is the name given to a program offered by Newsweb Media Solutions, the paper’s new print partner.

Zoom Digital Publishing converts print-ready files into an enhanced online digital publication using unique flashbased technology. Woodside’s Web site will link to the online digital version of the Woodside News, as posted by Newsweb Media Solutions each month.

Unlike the current online PDF file version of the Woodside News, which can only be viewed one page at a time, Zoom allows the reader to “flip” the pages in the same manner that a person would view a printed copy of the paper. Turning the pages of the new online version requires the reader to click on the arrow box at the top of the screen, or on a corner of the page, they have just finished reading.

The net effect is to provide online readers with an experience somewhat similar to what they enjoy when reading a printed copy of the paper.

In addition, the Zoom technology offers unlimited archiving of the Woodside News, posting of Web site and email links, searchable text, print options, streaming video capabilities and enhanced media opportunities for our advertisers.

For a preview of this exciting new feature, go online to www.woodsidebible.org and click on the January 2009 edition of the Woodside News.

Campus Pastors See Spiritual Opportunities In 2009

Karon Mathews

The simple act of swapping last year’s calendar for a glossy new 2009 version provokes serious thought as Woodside Bible Church seeks to grow and serve in a state, country and world beset by problems.

One thought that Senior Pastor Doug Schmidt and the campus pastors at Royal Oak, Warren and White Lake share is that opportunities arise from challenging circumstances and necessary change.

“As we approach another year of serving Christ at Woodside, we will focus on our vision statement: ‘…to impact this region and beyond with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.’ At Woodside we want to be in a position to be used of God to bring encouragement, healing and hope to our own people, as Well as the communities we serve,” said Senior Pastor Doug Schmidt.

“Another year will not change the fact that we must pray and ask God to work powerfully in us and through us at Woodside to make a dramatic difference in the lives of people for his glory.We have certainty about four things no matter what our circumstance: God and Jesus do not change, God and Jesus are constant and will never leave us, God’s promises do not change, and neither do his plans for us.” One of the greatest challenges ahead for all four Woodside Bible Church campuses is an economy which has left many people unemployed or has caused them to relocate to other parts of the country. While plans are finalized for major buildings on two campuses, the finance team and elders are monitoring Woodside giving trends and the regional economic conditions.

“Hard work, sacrifice and creativity will be required to effectively minister with the resources that God has entrusted to us. The people of Woodside are faithful and deeply committed, expressing a profound love for God and for people through worship, praise and action. I personally am excited and charged up for the challenges and possibilities for ministry in this season that God has given us,” said Schmidt.

At Woodside in Warren, growth in attendance is driving the need for leadership development. There is an increasing need for volunteers on every level, but the greatest need is for leaders.

“We need small group leaders, leaders for new studies, and teachers for various groups. Leaders and coordinators are needed to organize programs which are drawing greater numbers of children, such as Upward Basketball and Kreative Kids Day Camp,” said Don Pedde, campus pastor.

“A second challenge is providing congregational care.” As the Warren church attendance increases, so does the number of people who need special care. Some of this need is met as people join small groups, as groups are intended to shepherd or care for one another. Still there is a mounting need for care from deacons, who provide help and encouragement to the sick and those who are shut in.

“I think often of Love and Respect and other programs specifically geared to help couples or other groups. For real growth to take place in the lives of God’s people, time, care and, sometimes, one-on-one mentoring are necessary,” Pedde said.

“We are planning on starting a young adults group here in Warren in February. Our desire is to bring cohesiveness to this age group and provide the opportunity to study together and build relationships with others in the same stage of life.” Andrew Frith, campus pastor in Royal Oak, sees the main challenge in 2009 as reaching the community while forging connections within the newest Woodside congregation. The congregation is a mix of young professionals, both singles and married couples.

Some are right out of college and others are just starting their families.

There are people who are established in their careers and empty-nesters, too,” Frith said.

“Everyone here is new in some sense, as we are just getting to know each other. How can we navigate the small groups, the men’s and women’s ministries, and worship, while helping all these new faces connect in ways that build relationships? We have a task, an opportunity ahead, to find people to serve and match their gifts with present needs and new ministries that will emerge.

“We are a family; sharing the gospel is our mission.We can do that in unique ways here in Royal Oak.We lay the foundation by extending loving, helpful relationships, especially to those who are hurting in our community.

We can do it everywhere we go: at the neighborhood coffee shop, the dry cleaners or our favorite spot for lunch.

And we must be intentional and committed about it.” The Royal Oak church will celebrate its “Grand Opening” on January 18, 2009, but the relationship building is already underway. The congregation enjoyed its first meal together on Dec. 21, looking forward to opening day.

The biggest challenge ahead at the White Lake campus could be sustaining the momentum it takes to grow.

Efforts will focus on four areas in 2009, starting with the selection of the right man to replace former worship leader Geoff Black.

“White Lake is positioned on M- 59 with high visibility,” said Brad Hulcy, campus pastor. “That’s a plus and a challenge because people drive by and see the parking lot full. Times are tough and people need encouragement.

They notice our sign and come in to see what brings so many here on Sunday.

There is the possibility of a new worship center, but at some point we will need to add a third worship service.” The White Lake children’s ministry has grown from 25 to about 125 children. Programs that help parents guide their children in spiritual knowledge and understanding are a priority.

“We have a responsibility to help young families shepherd the hearts of their children and we need to meet the needs of parents with teens, too,” Hulcy said. “Youth participation in Woodside Student Ministries has doubled in one year.” The White Lake pastors and staff see an opportunity to reach entire families as the youth programming expands.

One opportunity leads to another, as Hulcy sees prospects in the year ahead for creating a culture of small groups serving elementary school age to adults.

“We’ll be adding some strategic classes, different from the traditional adult fellowship group model.

‘Contagious Christianity,’ offered on January 25, is one example. It will present practical tools for connecting with neighbors, co-workers and family members,” said Hulcy.

When 2008 began, White Lake offered only one Bible study for women and the new year will start out with three studies. The men’s ministry is also looking for studies and activities, such as a sports ministry, that will involve more new participants.

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